Hong Kong, Australian, Russian travelers plan farthest in advance

Agoda announced today the results of its most recent Travel Smart study, which shows how many days before a stay travelers from different countries book accommodation. Hong Kong travelers are the earliest, booking their accommodation an average of 42 days, or 6 weeks, before check-in.

The study looked at millions of bookings made by Agoda travelers across the globe in 2015 to see how far in advance they were booking accommodation. After Hong Kong-based travelers, Taiwanese, Australian and Russian travelers tied for second place, booking their accommodation an average of 40 days before a trip.

On the other side of the spectrum were travelers from the UAE and Indonesia, who booked accommodation an average of just 12 and 15 days, respectively, in advance of a trip.

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“Those early birds may be onto something,” says Errol Cooke, Vice President, Partner Services of Agoda. “Travelers who book early tend to have a better selection of properties, and a better selection of room types. There’s always a risk that plans could change but many properties have free cancellation now, so travelers likely won’t be out of pocket if they have to.”

Travelers from the UK book, on average, 34 days in advance, putting them 10 days over the global average of 24 days. Chinese travelers are just behind them at 32 days.

Travelers from Spain and the United States are notable for being average, as they book accommodation 25 days and 23 days in advance of a trip, just shy of the global average for all of Agoda travelers.